David Targets Strong Finish to Rookie F3 Season in Madrid
Yevan David heads to Madrid this weekend aiming to finish his rookie FIA Formula 3 season on a high following his strongest weekend of the year at Monza.
The 19-year-old Sri Lankan arrives at the season finale carrying significant momentum after taking fourth place in both races at Monza, scoring 19 points and climbing to 15th in the Drivers' Championship.
David produced two impressive recovery drives in Italy, progressing from 17th to fourth in the Sprint Race and 16th to fourth in the Feature Race, remarkably completing an overtake at the final corner of the final lap in both races.
The results provided further evidence of the progress David has made during his first season at FIA Formula 3 level and followed a summer break which he credits with helping him return to competition refreshed and able to extract more from himself and the car.
Madrid now presents a very different challenge as FIA Formula 3 visits the new Madring for the first time for its season finale on 11-13 September.
Unlike a conventional new circuit, however, David already has valuable experience of the track after taking part in FIA Formula 3's two-day in-season test at the venue in August.
David was among the early pacesetters as the drivers learned the new circuit, topping the timing screens during the opening morning.
His pace became even more encouraging on the second day. David briefly went fastest during the morning qualifying runs before eventually finishing seventh, just over half a second from the quickest time.
He then ended the final afternoon session fourth fastest for AIX Racing, giving both driver and team useful knowledge to take back to Madrid for the final race weekend of the year.
After the complexity of Monza, where qualifying was compromised by the lack of a tow before David fought his way forward in both races, his objective for Madrid is to concentrate on execution rather than the outcome.
"The plan in Madrid is just to focus on the basics," said David. "Corner by corner, get the warm-up procedure right, get the braking right and put a lap together. That's all it is about going into Madrid.
"We know we're fast there. No matter what track we go to, I believe in myself to improve through a weekend, carry the momentum and execute to the fullest.
"I believe in the team, I believe in myself, and I'm very much looking forward to enjoying Madrid for the final round of my rookie season in F3."
Madrid brings to a close a significant first FIA Formula 3 campaign for David.
He made history at the beginning of the year as the first Sri Lankan driver to compete in the championship, stepping up after finishing runner-up in the 2025 Euroformula Open Championship with six victories and 14 podiums.
His rookie campaign has presented the challenges expected from one of the most competitive junior single-seater championships in the world, but increasingly strong performances through the second half of the season have demonstrated his development.
Silverstone marked an important step as David began consistently showing his potential at the front, while Monza converted that speed into his biggest points haul of the season.
Now he returns to a Madrid circuit where he has already shown pace with one final opportunity to demonstrate how far he has progressed during his rookie year.
"The momentum started from Silverstone, and having the summer break really allowed me to reset and boost that momentum into Monza," said David.
"It's kept my mind fresh and allowed me to execute what I knew I always had. That's what I want to carry into Madrid."
Yevan David’s racing is supported by Lion Beer 0.0%, Maliban, Dimo Group, Nations Trust Bank, Fidem Financial and the Ceylon Motor Sports Club (CMSC).
FIA Formula 3 action at Madrid starts with practice (09:55-10:40) and qualifying (18:25-19:15) on Friday, the Sprint Race 11:05-11:50) on Saturday then the Feature Race on Sunday (18:00-18:50). All times local.
